Case Prompts for John
by KathyG
Summary: In this sequel to "A Chance to Practise," that is set in "The Great Game," Mycroft suspects that Sherlock has passed the Bruce-Partington case to John. He decides to help him out. One-shot.


**Case Prompts for John**

 **By KathyG**

 **In this sequel to "A Chance to Practise," that is set in "The Great Game," Mycroft suspects that Sherlock has passed the Bruce-Partington case to John. He decides to help him out.** **Thanks to besleybean, from the BBC Sherlock Fan Forum, for beta-reading and Brit-picking my story!**

"Then how did he end up with a bashed-in brain on the tracks at Battersea?" Mycroft asked. He was referring to the deceased Andrew West, whom he suspected of having stolen a memory stick containing plans to a missile defence system. John sat in the chair facing Mycroft's desk in the latter's large office, looking up at him and taking notes; he was wearing a two-piece suit. Night had fallen outside, and two table lamps shed a soft light throughout the room. Leaning against his desk with his legs crossed and his arms folded, both shoes flat on the carpeted floor, Mycroft continued, "That is the question—the one I was rather hoping Sherlock would provide an answer to. How's he getting on?"

"He—he's fine, yes. Oh, and—and it is going…very well. It's, um, you know—he's completely focused on it." John grinned at Mycroft unconvincingly.

 _Yes, sure, he is_ , Mycroft thought, biting back an amused smile. _You have your share of talents, John Watson, but lying is clearly_ not _one of them._ Out loud, he said, "Well, I've told you everything I know, John."

With a nod, John rose to his feet and said good-bye. As the door clicked shut behind him, Mycroft approached the window and looked out at the stars twinkling in the night sky, and then at the traffic on the street.

 _Well, well,_ he thought. _Sherlock, it would appear, has passed this case over to John, although I can't understand why._ He shook his head. _But this, I_ do _understand: John, as intelligent as he is, does_ not _share our genius for observation and deduction. He will need a lot of help to perform this investigation. I will see how he does for now, but I am prepared to text him suggestions whenever the need arises. Hopefully, Sherlock will not leave his flatmate on his own for long!_

Mycroft winced as the tooth on the right side of his mouth throbbed again. Thank goodness he had gone to his dental appointment after leaving Sherlock and John's flat! Still, root canal or no root canal, he had work to do. He walked over to his desk, sat down, and picked up the report that he had brought into his office just minutes before.

 **XXXXXXX**

Mycroft leaned back as he watched the CCTV screen via his laptop in his basement office of the Diogenes Club. The heater hummed softly in the background. It had been several minutes since John had entered the flat of the woman he was interviewing. As soon as Mycroft had learned about the explosion, he had suspected that someone was after Sherlock; the day before, he had figured out who it was, and had learned about the other case that his little brother and John were on, and it worried him intensely. He had been keeping an eye on them in the background ever since. It was evident to him that Sherlock had sent John to interview that woman as part of the case they were on.

 _I have got to keep a watchful eye on them, especially Sherlock,_ he thought, drumming his fingertips on his desk's smooth, polished surface. _It is clear that_ someone _is after Sherlock, and I have an idea as to who that someone might be. Right now, though, it's John I've got to watch, because he's supposed to be looking for the Bruce-Partington plans in Sherlock's stead. I suppose I'd better give him a prompt. He needs to know what to do next. There is another interview I need him to conduct when he's finished interviewing this other woman._

He picked up his mobile phone and turned it on. On the screen, he typed, _'Have you spoken to West's fiancée yet? Mycroft Holmes'_

 _That will get the investigation going,_ he thought, as he pushed _'send'_. _Once he receives this text, he will go visit her as quickly as he can. As a former soldier, John understands how important Queen and Country are._

Shutting off the CCTV screen for the moment and rising to his feet, Mycroft walked over to the sideboard to pour himself a drink. He would continue to keep an eye on John and send him another text when the need arose.

2


End file.
